Iron Horse to close after 34 seasons

For 34 years Don Koke has been bringing music to El Dorado. The latest phase of that journey, the Iron Horse Concert Hall, will be closing after this season.

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By Julie Clements

Butler County Times Gazette

By Julie Clements

Posted Mar. 21, 2013 at 4:00 PM

By Julie Clements
Posted Mar. 21, 2013 at 4:00 PM

El Dorado, Kan.

Upcoming performances

March 30 – Mary McCaslin represents an unbroken link between traditional American folksingers and today’s “new folk” singer-songwriters. Known for her songs about the West, ...

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Upcoming performances

March 30 – Mary McCaslin represents an unbroken link between traditional American folksingers and today’s “new folk” singer-songwriters. Known for her songs about the West, its landscape, and its outlaws as well as her insightful songs about relationships, Mary has influenced countless other performers. Mary was a pioneer of open tunings, using them long before they gained their current popularity. Tickets for all concerts are $15 for adults.

April 6 – Steve Cormier is touring again. After a number of years off, in which he took to teaching college history and acting in film and television, the singing bug bit him, hard it seems; so he’s at it again. Cormier’s music is mainly old and traditional cowboy fare. He also writes songs that reflect his take on life. He tells stories of his nine years as a ranch and farm hand, along with simply lying to see if he can get away with it.

April 13 – Bob Livingston, a founding member of The Lost Gonzo Band, was a key figure instigating the cosmic cowboy, progressive country and outlaw country music movements that distinguished the Austin, TX music scene in the 1970s. He is one of the most experienced and recorded musicians in all of Texas music. Livingston’s newest CD, Gypsy Alibi, released by New Wilderness Records in 2011, won the “Album of the Year” at the Texas Music Awards 2011.

April 20 – Musically speaking, the Heatons play the heck out of their instruments (Irish wood flute/accordion, guitar/bouzouki). After years of study in Chicago, and many nights of music in Clare, Galway, and their adopted home of Boston, Irish Music Magazine’s John O’Regan wrote, “their duet playing is tight, sweet, and tasteful, lacking nothing on either technical expertise or instrumental virtuosity.” As for their singing, when Matt and Shannon perform centuries-old songs, it feels current, conversational. They make traditional music relevant to American audiences.

April 27 – Gabrielle Louise’s music is anchored deeply in folk, but undeniably drawn to rich harmonies and melodic adventurism. Her sound has the earthy feel of early Joni Mitchell while also veering into the spirited delivery of fellow genre-hopping artist Martin Sexton. Unafraid to take a random musical escapade in the name of inspiration, Gabrielle is at one moment folkie and ethereal, the next moment a smoky jazz chanteuse.

May – The Mary Ann Memorial concert and “End of the Run” celebration. This is the final concert at the Iron Horse.

For 34 years Don Koke has been bringing music to El Dorado. The latest phase of that journey, the Iron Horse Concert Hall, will be closing after this season.

“This May when I have the final show it will be awfully hard to say goodbye,” Koke said. “I will not say goodbye, I will say see you again and hopefully I will be doing it again.”

The closing of the Iron Horse was prompted by the closing of Circle Gallery last year and the building being put up for sale. The Iron Horse is located in the back of that building.

But Don’s musical past in El Dorado goes back further than this building. Don and his wife, Mary Ann, moved to El Dorado in 1977 from Michigan. They opened a music store, the Music Emporium on Main. They were there about a year then moved their store to the old beauty shop, which was located between Angleton Garage and State Farm.

“That’s when we put on our first concert,” Koke said.

In 1979 they brought Bob Bovee to town for their first official concert.

“We thought big and took the concert out to the college and asked if we could use the theatre,” he said.

He recalled that only 12 to 13 people showed up, so they decided to do something a little smaller for the next concert.

The next year they added more concerts and in 1981 was their first really big season.

“We kept building after that,” Koke said.

They bought The Spot, a pool hall, when it went out. That led to some adventures for the couple, including a number of people coming in still thinking it was a pool hall that first year.

“I remember a drunk came up, opened the door and looked inside and shook his head,” Koke said. “He went across the street, looked at the sign and came back and opened the door again.”

They remained at that location until 1988.

“I had bought the building, closed the music store and opened the Iron Horse in the back,” Koke said of their time there.

They came up with the name Iron Horse because a friend of theirs gave them a huge train set.

“We would have jam sessions and put on shows,” he said.

Koke recalled the old wood burning stove, which everyone would gather around on cold evenings. They also served food.

Once they moved to the back of the Main Spot building, they put in a new stage which was more formal. They also put on an extension so they could increase the area for the audience. They even took the music outside during the summer, holding concerts on the side of the building.

Page 2 of 4 - After Mary Ann died, Koke closed the building and thought about quitting.

“I decided I was not going to do that and it was not what Mary Ann would have wanted,” Koke said.

This was the same time Peter Johnson was thinking about buying the building from Cliff Stone that would become Circle Gallery.

Koke said Johnson told him there was a garage in the back of the building and asked him if he would be interested.

Koke had been looking in Wichita and Towanda but couldn’t find a location he liked to reopen.

After looking at Johnson’s building, he knew that was the place and opened the Iron Horse back up in 1998.

“It was just a garage and it was a mess, but it was perfect,” Koke said.

Being behind the gallery also helped him not be as isolated.

Eventually Johnson sold the building to Don and Jeannie Parscal, who continued the relationship with the Iron Horse until Don passed away last year from cancer and Jeannie closed the business.

“They put this floor in and bought the jury chairs,” Koke said.

They also put in heat and air.

The Iron Horse features a cozy atmosphere and unique decorations with the walls being covered with decorated guitars and frogs.

The frog decorations got their start from one frog that came with the Kokes from their music store in Michigan. Then people began bringing in more frogs.

Koke said when they advertised on the radio Orin Friessen would do the commercials and tell them to ask for Boss Frog. That brought in even more frogs. There also is a giant painting of Napoleon Bonaparte, and Koke explained the relevance of that was that the French are nicknamed frogs.

The guitars range from real guitars that are no longer in use to guitar shaped art.

“A lot of those were guitars people brought in to repair,” Koke said.

When he would tell them they could purchase three new guitars for what it would cost to repair theirs, they would choose that route.

“I would tell them the best thing they could do would be put a clock in it and hang it on the wall,” he said.

Instead many of them left their guitars for Koke to hang on the wall. He challenged the audience to take any of the guitars and give it a second life as a piece of art, then bring it back and he would hang it up.

That collection of art just added to the experience of attending a concert at the Iron Horse.

Page 3 of 4 - “This has been a great location,” Koke said. “What really makes it the best is the intimacy.”

He has musicians wanting to come perform there.

Some of his performers over the years included Dave VanRonk, Bill Staines, Utah Phillips, Mary McCaslin, John McEuen, Norman Blake, Rosalie Sorrels, John Fahey, Tommy Sands, Nick Charles, Sarah McQuaid, Claude Bourbon and Robin and Linda Williams, among many others

There also have been some surprises over the years.

Josh White, Jr. came to an open mic night one time.

“His presence was so overpowering on that little stage,” Koke said.

Then another performer to come in was Peter Ostrousko who plays on Prairie Home Companion.

“Bryan Bowers one night took an audience out to a parking lot and they made a ring around his 1940s truck,” Koke recalled.

They sang “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” and baptized the truck before he drove it home.

Of course, there also was the occasional tornado warning.

Once they got going in the 1980s, they put on 24 to 30 concerts a year or more.

“What I enjoyed most was getting people excited about the music I love,” Koke said. “That was the best thing. They wanted more. People would say they could come anytime and know they would hear a good concert.”

His concerts ranged from Bluegrass to Blues and Celtic to old time music.

“We really tried to vary our seasons,” he said. “People discovered a new kind of music they liked.

“What we enjoyed, both Mary Ann and I, was getting to know these performers, as well and picking their brains adds to the enjoyment.”

The performers also would interact with their audience.

“That probably is what makes the music so special,” Koke said.

The audience also was special to them.

Koke said they had some loyal audience members.

“Several generations from the same families came here,” he said. “It’s always a joy to see them and how they are doing. We get to feel like they are family.”

Koke’s kids also grew up there and now his grandkids attend concerts.

Koke has had a lot of help over the years.

One main source of help was Bill Jenkins, who has been with Koke for years, working behind the counter in the concert hall.

Brent Nearhood also did sound for him for a number of years after taking guitar lessons from Koke at the college.